we blaze new trails in science, technology, medicine, agriculture. in israel, the past and the future find common ground. unfortunately, that is not the case in many other countries. today, a great battle is being waged between the modern and the medieval. the forces of maternity seek a bright future -- modernity seek a bright future in which the rights of everyone is protected. in which every life is sacred. the forces of medievalism seek a world in which women and minorities are it segregated and knowledge is suppressed and in which not life, but death is glorified. nowhere more starkly than in the middle east. israel stands proudly with the forces of modernity. we protect the rights of all of our citizens, men and women, jews and arabs, muslims and christians, all are equal before the law. our scientists when noble prizes -- win nobel prizes. we prevent hunger by irrigating land in africa and asia. recently i was deeply moved when i visited one of our technological institutes. i saw a man paralyzed from the waist down climb up a flight of stairs f